The Wyoming Senate on Wednesday killed
a bill that sought to outlaw the recognition of out-of-state gay
marriages, the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle reported.
Senators rejected the legislation with
a narrow 16 to 14 vote, ending weeks of negotiations between the two
chambers and a heated debate.
The bill won a narrow 31 to 28 victory
in the House, earlier in the day.
Both chambers had previously approved
differing versions of the bill.
Wednesday's version stripped out a
provision that would guarantee gay and lesbian couples in
out-of-state civil unions access to Wyoming courts to get a divorce
or for other disputes.
Wyoming bans gay couples from marrying
but state law also recognizes any valid marriage performed outside
its borders. Social conservatives worry that a legal challenge could
use the loophole to legalize gay marriage.
Wednesday's vote was the latest defeat
for social conservatives who had pinned their hopes on the
Legislature's recently-elected Republican majority.
Lawmakers last week killed a proposed
constitutional amendment defining marriage as a heterosexual union,
thereby banning gay and lesbian couples from marrying.